In the past year I have received a lot of feedback (and questions) regarding sponsored content on my social platforms. First, the feedback: I tried and incorporated whatever I found useful and in sync with my blog goals. A lot of times I have the intention to write a post on it and then I suddenly lose my mojo and that topic gets moved at the bottom of the pile. However, since this year, I am committed to catching up on all the drafts floating around before I start new projects, I am hopeful that all those pending requests will be dealt in 2018.
Regarding the questions I received: mostly it all of them had been "Why?" - aka Why am I creating so much sponsored posts?
1) Monetize
The most obvious answer for it is the money. Creating content takes time, effort and often involves cost (photographer, props, transportation/gas, etc.) The longer you blog, the better you want to get at your skills. The better you get, the greater value you add to your projects. Hence, the payout. Some are passion projects (which too, involve costs which you pay out of your own pocket) and some are paid campaigns. I believe in both of those projects equally but the money I make from the later pays for the passion project. Catch my drift?2) Motivates me to think outside the box
Personally what I like the most about the paid projects is that it makes you push the envelop. When someone shows faith in me, enough to pay me for my work, I want to put my best foot forward. I try and go above and beyond. I will conceptualize something that I have not done on the blog before, photograph it in a way that supports the product/campaign in the best possible way and then come up with copy which is not only authentic but also engaging. Money can be a great motivator to try harder to create 'different' content.3) I find brands that fit my stories
Having said that, the only rule I apply while accepting to work with any brand is that I ask myself this one question - "Will I buy this product with my own money if they were not collaborating with me?" - and as long as the answer to that question is yes, I till work with that brand.I like storytelling. I literally like 'stories'. I like reading stories, telling stories and creating stories. I often save up my ideas and wait for the right brand to come along when I can integrate my story with their product to make sure my message is always 'true to myself'.
Earlier I used to limited one (out of the three post) post per week, however later I decided to let go of that restriction as the opportunities started coming in. I realized that as long as my content is authentic, and I believe I am providing value to my audience, and it's providing me creative satisfaction it should not matter whether it is sponsored or not.
I will always maintain honesty and transparency with the content I share and create. I will not put anything out there that I do not believe in or cannot stand behind in that moment. I am not here to make a buck at the cost of my integrity.
Photography via Drishti by Tania Chatterjee
This is an example of, one of many passion projects I have worked on with Tania. :)
